Upland
Indiana Democrats won local, state and federal offices on a platform of affordability, anti-corruption and populism. Stock market investors seem to think they are going to bring down the hammer on data centers. If the Republicans who survived are smart, they will join Democrats. Democrats would be wise to avoid the low-hanging fruit, though, which is to eliminate state and local tax breaks for data centers. That would not stop Big Tech, and it might leave local governments with fewer benefits than they could have negotiated because of our convoluted tax system. The state’s sales and use tax exemptions originated from bipartisan legislation passed in 2019, which also authorized local governments to give personal property tax breaks to data centers. The goal was to compete with other states, such as Illinois, that were passing similar legislation in a race to the bottom to attract development. Indiana's economic development regime has been a failure in many respects, but the tax incentives in this case had an unexpected benefit. Better planning could make those incentives incredibly valuable to taxpayers. Tax breaks give rural communities leverage The state has a huge budget surplus and wastes its money on plenty of things . I'm
INDIANAPOLIS — A man has been found guilty of multiple federal wire fraud charges for his role in a scheme to defraud the Indiana Department of Education through two former online charter schools. According to documents obtained by FOX59/CBS4, Phillip Holden appeared in United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday, […]
The Christian County High School Tiger Band will give the community a chance to see its “New Kids on the Block” show Tuesday night before taking it to the national stage in Indianapolis. The community performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Stadium of Champions. Admission is...
INDIANAPOLIS — A water main break triggered a closure of South East Street in downtown Indianapolis on Thursday. According to Citizens Energy Group, the break occurred in the northbound lanes of South East Street between Georgia and Washington streets. Traffic on northbound East Street was restricted while crews worked to resolve the issue. Water in […]
MARION COUNTY, Ind.– More than 163,000 Marion County residents struggle with food insecurity. Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will soon carry emergency food bags to help those facing hunger during crisis calls. Starting this month, IMPD’s Mobile Crisis Assistance Team (MCAT) will use a two-question screening survey and distribute food bags provided by […]
The president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum says the facility has “pretty much shattered every metric” for attendance since a $64 million renovation, and he extended a personal invitation to Clinton, Carroll and Boone County listeners to come see it for themselves. Michael Good joined WILO’s Party...
TERRE HAUTE, IND. (WTWO/WAWV) – Indiana’s next Secretary of State has strong family ties to the Terre Haute community. Beau Bayh is the third generation of his family elected to a major political office. “I’ve been very lucky to have great role models like them. My dad was born in Shirkieville, IN, just here outside […]
INDIANAPOLIS — A local veteran and business owner is reflecting on how Purdue Global helped him after his medical retirement. Indianapolis native Joe Mousa first learned about Purdue Global while stationed in South Korea on active duty with the U.S. Army. He was recommended by a unit leader who also attended Purdue Global. A sudden […]
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police has elected Bobby Ferguson as its new president. “I will be the one making the changes,” Ferguson said. “That also involves a lot of working relationships with not only local, state, and national leaders, but with councilors and elected officials.” Ferguson currently serves as vice president and […]
INDIANAPOLIS — Most parts of the Midwest recognize four seasons each year. Indiana adds to that list with construction season, and it runs almost the entire calendar year. The Clear Path 465 Project, Level Up 31, and the Safety and Efficiency Project are three of what INDOT considers “major” projects that are going on simultaneously […]
(The Center Square) – After breaking a 14-years supermajority in the Indiana House on Election Day, Democrats want to tackle taxes and affordability. Democrats flipped 16 Indiana House seats in last week’s election, and now the 46-seat Democratic minority elected leaders have priorities for the new year. “My responsibility to the taxpayers is not only to listen to them, but to make life easier and more affordable for them,” said Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, who was reelected minority floor leader. Democratic leadership wants to reform property taxes and eliminate the sales tax on utility bills for private individuals, among other affordability issues. “Data centers don’t pay sales tax on utility bills while regular taxpayers are having to pay that sales tax,” Pryor told The Center Square. “The legislature has given tax breaks to businesses, but we have not helped homeowners, renters, and local governments – that includes schools.” “I don’t believe many residents saw a significant enough break that they felt we did anything for their property taxes,” Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Ft. Wayne, who was reelected minority leader, told The Center Square. The coming year will require legislature to pass a budget, which happens every other year. “Property taxes are
Homeowners 65 and older in Ohio have until Dec. 31 to file for a homestead exemption that shields $29,000 of their home’s value from property tax. Mississippi shields the first $7,500 of assessed value for owners 65 and older, and Indiana pays a $150 credit to eligible older owners who file by Jan. 15. Each […]
Gov. Mike Braun hasn’t done enough to punish teachers who celebrated the murder of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk more than a year ago. That’s according to Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who said his office referred numerous educators to the Indiana Department of Education for potential disciplinary action.
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis crime podcaster has his Facebook back following an investigation by Indiana’s I-Team. “See, here’s my page,” Marc Hoover said, the voice and creator behind Catch My Killer, a podcast about unsolved murders and missing people. “It’s back.” His “Catch My Killer” podcast has half a million downloads, and Hoover has spent years […]
A Marion County judge dismissed a class action lawsuit Nov. 12 against Martin University, though students may be able to file another legal claim against the college. The civil lawsuit was filed in April by a group of former staff and students, as well as the Martin University Alumni Association. In the complaint, university community members claimed the school failed in its duties to provide educational training and services as promised.
INDIANAPOLIS — Helping Veterans and Families of Indiana (HVAF) is coming back stronger after a fire displaced dozen. “I had pretty much given up on myself, and I had nowhere to turn and they took me with arms wide open,” said Army veteran, Matthew King. As an American flag waves in the wind, Army veteran […]
Following the midterm election results, Pi Sigma Alpha, Purdue's Political Science Honor Society, hosted a panel featuring three Purdue professors and their opinions. The first professor to speak was Mollie Cohen, a political science professor at Purdue whose academic focus is in Latin American politics. She responded to a question regarding how classes can help students understand what happened on Election Day.
STATEWIDE — Indiana is making progress in helping students prepare for their careers, according to a new Strada Education report. Officials said the Hoosier state is one of five states to reach the advanced level in career coaching for bachelor’s students. “There’s a lot of emphasis from a policy standpoint with Secretary of Education Katie […]
(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — Political maneuverings by Indiana leaders could raise costs for AES Indiana and the electricity customers they seek to aid, the utility’s representatives are warning in testimony to state regulators. They maintain that neither a BlackRock-backed buyout of parent company AES nor a Google data center planned for central Indiana will impact a […]
New Director Jennifer Dorfmeyer acknowledged continued challenges for the agency but shared progress and goals with lawmakers.
